Method and apparatus for surfacing sheet material



May 9, 1944. -J. A. SOISSA 2,348,578

I METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SURFACING SHEET MATERIAL Filed March 20, 1940 INVENTOR fax/N 4. Sa/sSA BYWXM- ATTORNEY Ply hopper for Patented MayQ, 1944 F FlCE METHOII AND APPARATUS FOR SURFACING SHEET MATERIAL I John A. Soissa,

Savannah, Ga,

assignor to Certain-Teed Products Corporation, New York, N. Y., a. corporation of Maryland This invention relates to methodschines for applying 'comminuted or granular'surfacing materials to a web. The invention more especially relates to surfacing with comminuted material a roofing web which carries a coating of adhesive water proofing material.

Such webs and roofing materials have been made with surfacing materials applied thereto so as to adhere to th adhesive coating. Different colors and many different arrangements of the colors have been used to produce variegated and multi-color roofing sheets and shingle elements. A problem which arises in the manufacture of such webs and roofing materials is that of 'efiecting changes of the colors without loss of and maof the granular material or contamination thereof by intermixture of the differently colored granular materials and without loss of time.

- It has been the practice in the roofing industry to surface the moving web from a hopper adjacent the coated face of the web and to partially embed the granular surfacing material in the coating by passing the surfaced sheet into circumferential contact with'a revolving drum adjacent the hopper. The hopper has been arranged near the drum and a-doctor has been provided to guide to the hopper the off-fall from the drum of granular material applied to the- Web in excess of that required tocompletely cover and adhere to the surface of the web.

when manufacturing a "mineral surfaced roofthe colors, or on the. other hand without leavme any substantial portion of the length of the web unsurfacedwith granular material;

It is a further object of the invention to effect the change in color without intermixture of the colors and without undue loss of granular material.

Another object of this invention .is to provide apparatusfor surfacing a roofing web which effectsreturn of excess granular material from the surfaceof the web tb the hopper, and to the proper compartments of the hopper positioned transversely 'acr0ss the web, with substantially no modification of the color of the supplies by the blending of. the "returns."

It is a primary feature of my invention that the excess granular material applied to the sheet is returned directly to the supply without the use ofv intermediate' 'baflies or guide means in the path of flow of the excess granular material.

It is a further feature. of my invention that the supply is moved out of the pathof fiow the excessmaterial in said path of flow when saidsupp y is removed from the path, which means may also be effective to receive from ing sheet, however, with longitudinal bands of different colors of the comminuted material difficulties have been encounteredin returning, by meansof the doctor, the off-fall from the drum to the proper compartments provided in the supthe different colors which have. resulted impartial intermixture of the granular materials intended for. adjacent longitudinal bands on the web and in the consequent modiflcation of the-colors of the granular material in the respective adjacent compartments ,of the hopperdue to this mixing.

It is an object of this invention to provide an economical method. of surfacing a web to eliminate the above described difficulties- It is the further object of the invention to provide a method of surfacing a roofing web,

and apparatus for carrying'out the method, which allows rapid change of the color of the comminuted materials deposited on the web while the web is continuously moved in the direction of its length.

It is a further object of the invention to effect this change in colors without undue overlap of said supply in its removed positiongranularmaterial discharged'toward the surfaceof the web and before it reaches the surface of the web. I Another feature of my invention is the provision ,of an auxiliary fixed supply which may be placed along the web from said movable supply and whichmay contain different color comminuted-material. I mayuse'this' auxiliary supply when it isdesired to change the color of comminuted material being applied to the face of the-roofing sheet.

In carrying out my improved method of sur facing a roofing web having a face adapted to bond thereto granular material I provide for movement of the web in the direction of its length across the paths of delivery of granular materials from the movable supply and from the auxiliary supply. I feed granular material from the main supply, that is, this movable supply continuously toward the face of the web in.

excess of the quantity required to adhere to and completely surface it, and I position this movable supply so that it directly receives without the intervention of a doctor or bafile the excess granular material returned from the surface of the web.

When ,it is desired to change the color of my invention.

granular material being applied to the web, I fill the auxiliary supply with the granules of different color. When the main supply is about to be exhausted I initiate feed of the granular'materi'a'l from the auxiliary supply toward the face of theweb and then move the main supply out of the return path of fiow of the excess material from' the web so thatit no 'longer receives returns. To avoid deposition of the returns on the web I may intercept these "returns and convey them to one side of the web. When the main movable supply is empty and the new granules of different color are returned I again move this supply to the position where it inter- .cepts the path of flow of the returned excess granular material and I' replenish the main supply -with the same color granular material as that of the auxiliary supply. As this auxiliary supply approaches exhaustion, I again initiate feed from the main supply and continue feeding from the auxiliary supply until feed therefrom ceases. the surfacing of the web.

A detailed description of the my improved surfacing method and apparatus together with other objects and advantageous features will be given "in connection with the drawing in which The figure is a diagrammatic representation of surfacing apparatus embodying the elements of In the figure, the web 2 may be a roofing sheet having on the upper face thereof an adhesive coating of waterproof material such as, asphalt. The web 2 is caused to be moved toward the right hand side of Figure 1 under the action of revolving drums 4 and 6.

:Supported above the surface of the web 2 by tracks 8 is shown a main hopper l2. Projections M are provided on the sides of hopper l2 bearing on track 8 to permit movement of the hopper to a position adjacent the surface of the drum shown in full outline and to a position remote therefrom shown in dotted outline.- l

A feed roller I6 is outlet opening iii of the hopper l2 to-eflect delivery of granular material therefrom. The feed roll it may be rotated by suitable means not 5 \forming part of the invention so as to rotate the feed roll l6 counterclockwise when the hopper i2- is adjacent the drum 4 and to rotate the roll l6 clockwise when the hopper I2 is positioned remote from the drum as-shownin dotted outline. A gate l1 and a bafiie Iii-are provided on the hopper i2 for purposes to-be explained below. It can be seen from the drawing that the hopper -i2 when positioned adjacent the surface of the drum 4 may receive off-fall of excess granular material directly from the drum, no intermediate guides or bailies being necessary.

Positioned adjacent the path of delivery toward the web of drum 4 but out of the granular ma- The'main movable supply then continues that the roofing web 2 quickly dumped over 20. It will be note to move therewith. so as not to interfere with movement of the hopper l2.

An auxiliary hopper 24 having an outlet opem ing 26 and a feed roll 28 associated therewith is supported by means not shown above the web and conveniently spaced from the main hopper l2 along the web. Generally indicated at 30 is conventional mechanism for applying mica or other anti-stick material to the reverse side of the we The operation of my apparatus in the particular embodiment shown is as follows:

Hopper I2 is positioned adjacent the drum 4 and is filled with granular material of suitable color. Drums 4 and 5 are revolved in the direction shown and web 2 is moved toward the ri ht of the-figure. Feed roller I6 is revolved in' the counterclockwise direction and granular material from hopper I2 is depositedon the surface of the in excess of the amount required to completely cover and adhere to the-web. The surfaced web 2 then passes around the and the granular material is partially embedded in the face of the web 2. The excess comminuted material is carried over -the surface of the. drum 4 and falls toward the sheet 2 but directly into the hopper l2.

When it is desired to change the character of granular material applied to the surface of theweb 2,

initiated before the discharge of material from the hopper l2 ceases and so that no bare unsurfaced areas will be left on the web '2. T

The hopper I2 is thenmoved to the position shown in dotted outline and oil-fall of excess shown associated with the terial from the hopper l2 in its position adjacent the surface of the drum is shown a conveyor 20 having a belt 22 driven by any suitable means in granular material of the first color from the drum is received in the conveyor 20. When the hopper I2 is moved tov said position remote. from the drum, the direction of rotation of feed roll I thereof is changed to clockwise and the gate ll is swlmg open as shown in dotted outline and the material-remaining in hopper I2 is quicklyv dumped into the conveyor 20 and is carried on belt 22 to one side of the web where it may be disposed of in any convenient manner.

When the main hopper I2 is emptied and the excess granular material off-falling from the drum 4 becomes of the same color-as that in the auxiliary hopper 24 the gate I1 is closed and the hopper i2 is moved into position to again intercept the path of flow of the off-fall material from the drum '4. The main'hopper I2 is then quickly filled from the storage supply with granular material of the same character as that in the auxiliary hopper 24 and feed from said niain'hopper toward the web is started as said auxiliary hopper 2 approaches 'being empty. The main hopper is replenished in the usual manner from time to time from the storage supply of granular material to keep it from becoming empty.

If it is desired to lay parallel'longitudinal bands of different colors on the face of the web 2 the hoppers I2 and 24 may each be divided into compartments across the sheet containing granular material of different colors in the manner well known in the roofing art. In this embodiment the direct return of the oil-fall to the proper combafile is carried by the hopper structure drum 4 partment and avoidance of intermixture of the olor.

to my inventionmay duce strips or shingles y apparatus and processes ,well known in the art.

Having described my invention, I now claim:

thus

into and out of said return said excess granular material.

' said face of the web from an material from reaching said 5. Method of surfacing a moving in the direction of its has been covered material, and thereafter varying so that excess material will not said web.

7. Method of surfacing with granular the return path be returned to moving in the direction of its length a web capable supply at 

